Coaches and Staff
Rick Brown – Executive Director and Head Coach
Coach Brown was hired by Rogue Rowing in June of 2015. In an effort to organize the club as a national leader within the rowing community, talent from the national level was recruited. Rick most recently served as the Executive Director at the Three Rivers Rowing Association in Pittsburgh, PA where he was for nine years. Three Rivers Rowing won the USRowing Club of the Year two times during his tenure (2010 and 2013). During Rick’s time at Three Rivers, he coached many levels and ages, but worked with the juniors program the entire time seeing the team grow to a nationally competitive program that had boats qualify and attend USRowing Youth Nationals every year which included winning Silver Medals in the Boys Pair (2-) in both 2013 and 2014. Rick also served as a coach within the USRowing Men’s Junior National Team from 2009-2015 and coached the Boy’s 4+ at the Junior World Championships in 2013 and 2014. He has worked with and helped high school athletes that have been recruited to most every major university and college rowing program in the country. Brown has also coached and worked at the Marin Rowing Association, University of California at Santa Barbara and Simmons College. He rowed at and attended Bates College, Lewiston, ME and has a Masters in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco.
Jonathan Crist - Head Development Coach
Jonathan arrived at Rogue Rowing in August of 2017 to assist Coach Brown in carrying out the club's commitment to becoming a national leader in the rowing community. Jonathan has recently served as the Interim Head Juniors Coach and Head Novice Juniors Coach of Three Rivers Rowing Association in Pittsburgh, PA. His time with Three Rivers saw a Women's 8+, Lightweight Women's 4+, Men's 2-, and Women's 4+ qualify for the 2017 USRowing Youth Nationals with the Women's 4+ winning silver. He has also served as a coach within the USRowing Men's Junior National Team coaching during the summer of 2017 at the High Performance and U17 camps hosted in Ashland, OR.
A native of Pittsburgh Jonathan both learned to row and began coaching with Central Catholic High School and spent time sculling with Steel City Rowing. He has also coached as a volunteer with Duquesne University Women's Rowing assisting the 2nd Varsity and lightweight 8+'s. Jonathan completed his undergraduate work at The University of Pittsburgh, holds a Masters in Communication Studies from Duquesne University and is currently completing requirements for a PhD in Rhetoric, also with Duquesne.
Tommy McNamara - Masters and Juniors Coach
Kenna Tyler - Juniors Coach
Cora Jacobi - Juniors Coach
Tristan Gavin - Juniors Coach
Robin Brown - Coach
Robin rowed competitively at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she rowed primarily as a lightweight rower. In 2002, she raced in a lightweight 8+ that placed 5th at the National Intercollegiate Rowing Championships. She is passionate about helping athletes maximize their athletic potential and to support this she has earned her Master’s in Nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011 and is a licensed Registered Dietitian. She has coached hundreds of competitive rowers at the high school, Masters and Collegiate levels. She has been a rowing coach at nationally competitive juniors programs and has experience coaching and directing a rowing program for athletes with physical and mental disabilities.
Perry Collonge – Master’s Coach
Perry Collonge began his rowing career at San Diego State University where he competed on the varsity team for 4 years. After spending his 20s running outdoor education trips in the desserts and rivers of the west, he found his calling as a rowing coach at the Los Gatos Rowing Club. For 10 years he has shared his passion for rowing by introducing adults, while earning his masters degree in marriage and family therapy. In 2016, Perry and his family relocated to the Rogue Valley where he continues to instruct and inspire as the Rogue Rowing Green Team coach.
RR's coaches are USRowing certified. Our Junior coaches comply with Oregon Student Athletic Association guidelines. We welcome the opportunity to work with anyone who is interested in furthering their coaching experience and/or learning to coach.
Judith Cope – Assistant Coach
Judith has been rowing with RR since the club started in 2000. Having grown up pre-Title IX, she had never had the opportunity to participate in a real team sport. So after her first practice with the new RR group in the fall of 2000, she was hooked. She began competing in the spring of 2001 with the fledgling women’s crew.
Over the years she has had considerable success as a racer, both as a sculler and sweep rower. Judith teaches the novice Masters. For many years, she was also a novice coach with the Juniors Program. She loves to instruct beginners and watch them fall in love with rowing as she did.
Lia Byers - A-Team and Veterans Assistant Coach
Joe Lusa – Assistant Coach
Dan Hirsh – Assistant Coach
Toni Martinez – Assistant Coach
Join our staff!
We are always interested in qualified and interested individuals! Please don't hesitate to contact us.